It is known to make metal objects by means of metal powder molding techniques. In accordance with such techniques, a mixture of metal powder and a resinous binder is molded into a green body, typically by injection molding. The green body is then chemically or thermally debound, and is then sintered at a temperature near the melting temperature of the metal powder. Upon sintering of the green body, the metal powder particles fuse together to form a metal body. Numerous metal powder molding materials and techniques are known in the art, and such are exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,292 (Japka), entitled "Carbonyl Iron Powder Premix Composition" and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,755 (Kawano et al.), entitled "Method for Preparing Powder Metallurgical Sintered Product."
When forming hollow metal objects using metal powder molding techniques, it is typical to mold two green halves or component parts of the metal object separately, and to then place these two component parts into contact with one another under pressure prior to debinding and sintering. One problem with known metal powder molding techniques is that it is difficult and often impossible to attain a hermetic seal between the two molded component parts in the metal body. Thus, it is not presently commercially practicable to fabricate hermetically sealed hollow metal bodies, such as pressure vessels and fluid flow nozzles, using known metal powder molding techniques. The present invention is addressed to this drawback in the metal powder molding art.